NY governor eyes changes to involuntary commitment standards amid surge in transit crime

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said she would include legislation regarding the state’s involuntary commitment standards in her new executive budget following a series of violent subway attacks that have prompted questions about mental health. 

“Currently hospitals are able to commit individuals whose mental illness puts themselves or others at risk of serious harm, and this legislation will expand that definition to ensure more people receive the care they need,” she said in a Friday statement.

Hochul has expressed concerns about a lack of mental health care and its impact on transit crimes, which have been in national headlines in recent weeks.

Her comments come after a man burned a woman alive on the subway last month. A separate incident took place on New Year’s Eve involving a man who was pushed in front of a train in Chelsea.

“The recent surge in violent crimes in our public transit system cannot continue — and we need to tackle this crisis head-on,” Hochul wrote in the statement. 

“Many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness, the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system,” she said. 

Subway crime data shows an average of six crimes a day, according to NBC 4 New York. 

Hochul said she believes the statistics are due in part to the city’s unhoused population who lack access to basic needs, which can be a detrimental factor to their mental health without proper treatment.

However, she hopes to change the options available to New Yorkers through new legislation.

“I will also introduce companion legislation to change Kendra’s Law, improving the process through which a court can order certain individuals to participate in Assisted Outpatient Treatment while also making it easier for individuals to voluntarily sign up for this treatment,” she added. 

Kendra's Law allows judges to order individuals to undergo psychiatric treatment.

"We have a duty to protect the public from random acts of violence, and the only fair and compassionate thing to do is to get our fellow New Yorkers the help they need," Hochul wrote.